Hassock



NOV. 8, 1949 BUTTNER 248L634 HASSC'JCK Filed Dec. 6, 1945 79- 6 INVENTOR, olf B dlihev ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 8, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HASSOCK Rudolf Buttner, Clifton, N. J.

Application December 6, 1945, Serial No. 633,104

3 Claims.

This invention relates to hassocks and like articles of furniture.

The invention has for its object to provide a frame for such a-furniture article which may be inexpensively composed and in finished state will be quite strong and durable and whose covering of flexible sheet material may be formed and then associated with the frame in a simple manner resulting in the development of upright pleats in a skirting portion of the covering.

Generally stated, the frame includes an upper and preferably a lower horizontal member each comprising laminated superposed apertured elements of stiff sheet material, as ply-wood, united to form such member as an integral body, each element itself including a plurality of sections in the same plane having their junctures out of registry with those of the sections of any adjoining element, and legs between and secured to the members for supporting the upper member.

As for the pleated skirting: Heretofore this was formed and associated with the frame of the hassock as follows: The flexible'sheet material to form the skirting had those opposite margins thereof which were to be horizontal when the skirting became associated with the frame of the same length. Since in the finished hassock the pleated skirting was to have an upwardly tapering form it became tedious and difficult to assemble the skirting material with the frame so that a symmetrical form and dispersion of the pleats would result. According to this invention the skirting is formed from a flat circular blank which has a circular central aperture which closely approximates in circumference that of the frame in a horizontal zone at the upper portion of the frame. The material, which is usually somewhat stiff, is applied to the frame so that the latter in said zone penetrates the aperture and, the aperture-adjoining marginal portion of the material being disposed in belt-like embracing relation to the frame in said zone, the remaining portion of the material is disposed in depending relation with consequent upright pleating thereof that in fact tends to assume uniformity and in any event can readily be developed to that state. (By the term blank I do not mean to exclude one which perhaps comprises independent segments, which when assembled properly would have the described form, their adjoining margins extending substantially radially from said aperture.)

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved furniture article, here a hassock:

Fig. 2 is a plan thereof;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the frame;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view thereof with the discal plate which supports the padding partly broken away;

Fig. 5 is a plan, on a reduced scale, of so much of the covering as goes to form in the present example the pleated skirt portion of the covering; and

Fig. 6 is a vertical fragmentary sectional view of the upper part of the hassock.

The frame of the preferred embodiment of hassock shown and described is cylindrical. such frame includes upper and lower horizontally disposed counterparts members I and 2, respectively, which here have actually circular margins, and legs 3 interposed between said members and thus supported by the lower member and supporting the upper member, being secured to them, as by nails or screws 4. Both members will usually have the same form and dimensions in plan. The two members and the legs are all of wood in this example.

In forming each of the two members for the purpose of avoiding undue weight in the hassock and also providing the necessary strength I resort to ply-wood, constructing such section as follows: The same is to comprise annular sheetlike elements or layers 5, as shown in Fig. 6, of ply-wood glued together in laminated state. Each element, which has a central opening 6 as shown in Fig. 4, comprises a number of sections (here counterparts) as quadrants I (Fig. 4) which are assembled to form such element and with the other element the member I or 2, to wit, so that the juncture 8 of the sections of any one element will be out of registry with the juncture 8 of the sections of any adjoining element. By this construction each member assumes a light, strong and durable character.

The frame also preferably includes the following parts: A wall or housing 9 formed from a rectangular sheet of suitable thick and strong card-board or fiber which is bent to embrace the portion of the frame formed by said members and legs and whose lower margin is flush with the bottom surface of member 2 but whose upper margin projects somewhat above the top surface of member I, it being secured to said member by nailing or screws, as at If). A plate or disk I l of ply-wood or other suitably stiff material occupies and fits the recess l2 above the upper member. A cross-sectionally half-round bead l3, as of wood, extends around the housing 9 in a hori- 3 z'ontal plane below the member l and may be secured in place in any way, as by nailing.

The frame being thus completed the skirting is applied as follows: A fiat blank M of flexible usually somewhat stiff sheet material, as leather or artificial leather or equivalent material having a circular form in plan but of appreciably greater area than and having a circular central aperture of the same circumference the frame above the'bead I13, is provided. This;is fitteclrouer the frame so that its inner margin l4a will be between the bead and the upper edge of housing 9, its inner marginal portion being develop duas smooth as possible to form a belt Mb. A band l5 of flexible sheet material, as leathenetcuihaving its margins inturned, is made toembrace such belt and ornamental nails or "tacks IB'used to secure the band and belt in place. Whereasfiid belt Nb of the skirting has been developed to substantially cylindrical form,the.remaini1;igi circumferential portion of the skirting ,tendsj-to asisumepleatedl form, withfthe spacing of thepleats approximately uniform,v when it i is .ma'de'ito ,depend in closely disposed relationfltothe .frame. .The, pleats I'l .arepreferably made sov that each has the same shapeand dimensions. The pleats .areprefer'ably confined inthat stateand forthis purpose the skirting is at substantially equalin- .tervals around the frame secured vtheretoat'its lower margin; as at l8,,by preferably ornamental nails. A factor in the forming of the pleats .uniform'in shape and size is the bead l3paround which theiskirting is bent when it is made to depend.

'As will be apparent the cylindrical'frameof the hassock together withthe annular shape of blank M'producepleats I! which are deeper radially of the hassock at the bottom of "the hassock than elsewhere. .Su ch depth of pleat varies substantially linearly from the maximum at the bottom of the hassock' to substantially zero at bea'd1i3. "Such configuration of the pleats, which,..are.,,un-

filled, is shown in Figures 1, 2,,.and 6. .Theside "walls of. each of. the pleatsl'l, also asapparent inthe same figures, are disposed throughout their lengths in 'planes which are relatively (close. to and substantially parallel to each other.

Before the band 'I 5 is app-lied in the presentexample, and with suitable padding 'l9'disposedon thedisk ll;the covering is completed by a discal portion" 20 of'flexible sheet material, .as leather, -"etc; applied over the padding and havingi 'its margin bent-down around the frame soas'to be embraced-by the band. I

Wherein the blank and its central aperture are substantially circular I find that it is not essential that the frame be actually so in the zone to which the belt of the skirting is fitted. Uniform pleats may be easily developed, although 5 the frame in said zone appreciably departs from the circular, providing that the circumference of the aperture of the blank is substantially equal to that of the frame in said zone.

--Having described one example of my invention .whatgl claim is:

1. An article of furniture comprising an upyright substantially circular cylindrical frame, and .a skirting formed from a flat blank of flexible sheet material of annular shape, the inner mar- 1L5 gain-of .-,such blank being of approximately the same circumference as the frame, the skirting be- --ingattached to the frame with the portion of the skirting; adjoining its inner margin in the form of a belt embracing the upper end of the frame and-the remainingcircumferential portion of the skirt disposed'in depending relation to the belt and existing, in the form of a plurality of angu- ,.larly disposed similar pleats lying substantially ,raldially of the "frame, and means for securing ga portionsof theskirting at intervals alternating with the pleats and substantially belowthe belt fin angularlyfiXed-position relative to each other andclose tothe frame, the radial height of each of the pleats increasing at a substantially uniform rate from substantially zero at the belt to a maxi heightat the bottom edge of the skirt. 2.fI n, the combination set forth in claim 1, an exterior bead secured to the frame within and contacting the skirting below and adjacent said belt; the skirting being bent thereover.

3. 'In the combination set out in claim 1, the j last named means being means securing the skirt- H ingtothe frame substantially below the belt and at intervals alternating with the pleats at loca- 40 ,tions .at which the skirting closely approaches the vframe.

RUDOLF BUITNER.

"REFERENCES CITED -,T-he-following references are of record in the sfile v of; this patent:

* UNITED* STATES PATENTS 

